Tet Offensive Vietnam War

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In 1961 the Vietnam War began. It was one of the most important events of the American Century. During the war many soldiers in the US risked their lives to battle against communism. Of the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive was the most important battle. The symbolism of the Tet Offensive was powerful. American forces were overwhelmed with the sneak attack of the Viet Cong. 4,000 soldiers engaged over Saigon, while tens of thousands of soldiers were over South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive was one of the most important battles of the Vietnam War. The U.S. and South Vietnam forces achieved tactical victory in this battle, it ended the war quicker, and determined U.S. presidency. Before the Vietnam War, France controlled Vietnam from 1859 until…show more content…
In 1961, South Vietnam signed a treaty with the U.S. for military and economic help. This led to the American troops arriving in that year. A year later, the U.S. Military Assistance Command was formed. In 1963, Ngo Dinh Diem's military forces grew violent towards the Buddhists in Vietnam. The U.S. decided that Diem's actions could not be tolerated and Diem was killed on November 1st, 1963 by his own military generals. Then, John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Lyndon B. Johnson took his place. When Ngo Dinh Diem was alive the South was unstable, until June 1965 when Nguyen Cao Ky became president. President Lyndon B. Johnson raised the level of U.S. involvement in the war. On August 7th, 1964, the U.S. Senate approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson the choice to escalate U.S. involvement in the war for what happened to the USS Maddox, w. America needed to act fast, but by 1965 Viet Cong controlled about 60 percent of South Vietnamese land. The communist were against Saigon’s military. Or also known as the ARVN. Over the years the ARVN could not succeed and struggled against the Viet Cong and NVA. Then, Operation Rolling Thunder took place in North Vietnam starting March 1965. Operation Rolling Thunder was the code name for bombing raids in North Vietnam led by the United States armed forces. The purpose of this military operation was to…show more content…
According to an article, Westmoreland told reporters, “I have never been more encouraged in the four years that I have been in Vietnam. We are making real progress”. During this battle we had stepped up our position in the Vietnam War. From being at the bottom and suffering every loss that was made, to the top of the battle making a tremendous victory in the end of the battle. How did we manage to do this? Wiest says in his book, “Across Saigon the Viet Cong used surprise to make initial gains, but failed in their overall objectives due to a quick reaction by powerful U.S. and ARVN forces”. The U.S. knew what was to be expected, but the communists didn’t believe we knew what was about to happen. In an article Zebecki states, “Militarily, the Tet Offensive was a tactical disaster for the Communists. By the end of the March 1968 they had not achieved a single one of their objectives” Not only did we achieve tactical victories but the Tet Offensive ended the Vietnam War
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